Amazon expanding drone delivery to 500 cities by year’s end

Amazon’s Prime Air service planned to expand its drone delivery service to reach nearly 500 cities and towns by the end of December, according to a Wednesday company statement. The sixfold increase would allow tens of millions of customers the option to receive groceries, medication, and other household items in as fast as 30 minutes, according to Amazon.

Amazon’s Prime Air program used drones for faster deliveries within certain areas for items weighing 5 pounds or less, according to the company. Company policy allowed drone delivery only during daylight hours in favorable weather conditions. Amazon’s drones operate on an industry-leading detect-and-avoid system, allowing the unmanned aerial devices to monitor airspace and make real-time safety decisions, the company noted.

The company offered drone delivery to select cities across seven states: Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, and Texas. Amazon's delivery drones have made headlines for crashing, specifically last October when two Prime drones crashed into a construction crane outside of Phoenix, Ariz.

What cities and towns will be included in the expansion? The company planned to expand into select cities and towns in five new states this year: Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, Idaho, and New York. Prime Air specifically highlighted several metro hubs expected to soon receive the program, including Chicago, Ill.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Cleveland, Ohio; Atlanta, Ga.; and Boise, Idaho.

Amazon’s drone expansion announcement came days after Uber Eats publicized its plan to scale up its drone deliveries. Uber Eats planned to start its drone delivery service in Texas later this year, with the goal of reaching 1 million daily drone deliveries by 2030.